Resetting, understanding the metabolic clock
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 14:00
in Biology & Nature
We've all heard about circadian rhythm, the roughly 24-hour oscillations of biological processes that occur in many living organisms. Yet for all its influence in many aspects of our lives -- from sleep to immunity and, particularly, metabolism -- relatively little is understood about the mammalian circadian rhythm and the interlocking processes that comprise this complex biological clock. Through intensive analysis and computer modeling, researchers have gained insight into factors that affect these oscillations, with results that could lend themselves to circadian regulation and pharmacological control.